2 weeks to moving
Today marks the 2-week mark to my big moving day. Over the weekend at my Careful Peach trunk show, I talked to several customers and realized I've been quiet on my blog of late so now need to catch up on sharing what's been going on in-depth (I'll do this over time). Lately I've been opting to post to Facebook or Twitter for the quick tidbit-style updates, so feel free to find me in either of those places if you want more regular updates. These are more indicative of my mental state as well... it's been hard to find focus in my life of late, but I am making motions to slow things down and calm the inner flurry.
At the beginning of July I was in Nevada City, California once again and sealed the deal on renting an adorable little cottage nestled in a garden (I'll have to post pics once I move... didn't have time to get any on that visit!). It's a country setting but just a few short minutes outside of town.
Over the past several months I've been grappling with the idea of moving. I worked on getting to know myself a bit (this too will take more time) and figuring out what I want from my everyday life. At the beginning of the year my list started to look something like this:
-live someplace where I can see the stars
-be within 90 minutes of an international airport (60 would be better)
-live within easy access of all sorts of outdoorsy activities I enjoy (rock climbing, hiking, kayaking, biking, snow boarding, etc.)
-live somewhere with an active artist community
I really thought I would end up in Oregon, somewhere outside of Portland. I wandered around the Pacific Northwest visiting artist friends & making new friends from various art fair contacts. Everyone was so generous with their time, opening their homes and studios... sharing their stories of how they landed in their spots. It is hard to get a sense of community, though, on these little visits... but every time I swung back through Nevada City I would meet someone new, go to interesting fundraisers, make exciting connections, and fall just a little more in love with the mountains and pine trees that remind me so much of the two places I grew up in (Maine + North Carolina). Finally I got over whatever preconceived notion I had in my head about being specifically in the Pacific Northwest and have decided to make the move to the tiny gold mining town that has captured my heart.
But suddenly the idea of a move has turned into an actual move! Everything has fallen into place, and it feels so quick now. But this is the perfect window for me to relocate my studio... after Ann Arbor State Street (booth #243 on N. University if you are there!) I don't have another retail art fair until Kansas City Plaza in late September. I will be at NYIGF in mid-August, but wholesale shows are little easier for me to digest.
That's the beginning of an update from me... I have many more ideas from customers & blog readers that I will get around to in the coming weeks. Let me know if there's anything *you* want to hear about!